November 13, 2024
1 minute reading time
Marit Bouwmeester on the ultimate comeback and inspiring the next generation of female sailors
On the glistening waters of Marseille at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Marit Bouwmeester sailed her way into the record books as the most successful female Olympic sailor in history. Claiming her fourth medal and second gold, she also demonstrated that motherhood and a high-performance athletic career is not mutually exclusive.
At the 2024 World Sailing Awards she also won her second Rolex World Sailor of the Year award, seven years after first holding the trophy.
In 2017, Marit had just won gold medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 Laser Radial World Championships. This year, the Olympic gold marked an impressive return to the water following the birth of her daughter.
She finished ninth at the 2022 World Championships, around five months after giving birth, but by 2023 she was back to winning ways with a series of victories at the European Championships, Princess Sofia Regatta and Olympic Test Event in Marseille.
Speaking after the World Sailing Awards, she said, “It’s a huge honour to win the award and there are so many great females out there, so it’s incredible for me to receive it.
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“I have friends who have said we all struggle with the balance between our careers and our children, so there is no need to paint a perfect picture. It is the best thing to hear because everybody struggles now and then. There is a lot of respect among the fleet because the level in women’s sailing is so high. Everyone is training so hard, and we all know what it takes and the challenges we face, so there is a lot of mutual respect.
“I think it is great where female sailing is heading, so hopefully it keeps developing and it can only be even better from here onwards.”